<p>Lena, who lives in Cork, told RT&Eacute; <a href="http://www.thejournal.ie/overweight-guide-dog-2901069-Jul2016/" target="_blank">Radio One&rsquo;s Liveline</a> that she has been &ldquo;heartbroken&rdquo; since Elsa, a Labrador-retriever mix, was taken away by the Irish Guide Dogs for the Blind.</p>

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<p>&quot;I&rsquo;m helpless now and I can&rsquo;t do anything without her,&rdquo; she told host Philip Boucher Hayes after her dog of eight years was removed on July 8th.</p>
</blockquote>

<p>Lena said she was given two warnings about the dog&rsquo;s weight but due to the bad weather she was unable to exercise the dog regularly.</p>

<p>David McCarthy of Irish Guide Dogs for the Blind joined the programme to explain why the dog was removed.</p>

<p>&ldquo;This isn&rsquo;t an easy situation for anybody, in particular for Lena. It&rsquo;s complex, it&rsquo;s not straightforward, there&rsquo;s no easy solution,&rdquo; he said.</p>

<p>Mr McCarthy added that once the dog returns to a healthy weight, they plan to reunite her with Lena.</p>

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